What is the Aussie Camino?

Most Catholics are familiar with the iconic Camino de Santiago (Way of Saint James), a pilgrimage route stretching some 800kms from the French Pyrenees to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.

However, many Catholics will be surprised to hear that we have a multi-day pilgrimage route of our own. The “Aussie Camino” is a 193km hike that follows in the footsteps of our own Blessed Saint Mary MacKillop.

The Aussie Camino starts in Portland, Victoria, where in 1862, the 20-year-old Mary MacKillop worked as a governess to the Cameron children at Fitzroy Cottage. She eventually took up a teaching position at the local school and rented nearby Bay View House. It was here in 1864 where Mary was to establish her first school, Bay View House Seminary for Young Ladies.

One hundred and fifty years later, three Catholic high school teachers inspired by the original Camino, started out on foot from Portland and a week later they arrived at Penola, the place where Mary MacKillop and Fr Julian Tenison Woods co-founded the Sisters of St Joseph in 1866.

The teachers, Luke Mills, Steven Murphy, Anthony Mills and Michael Dillon from St Francis Xavier College pulled on their boots and set out in April 2013.

The route they established has since been slightly adapted by tour companies to take in more of the beautiful sites, but it essentially the same; it follows the Great South West Walk, with its dramatic coastline of clifftops, and isolated beaches.

After crossing the Victoria/South Australian Border the trail continues to Port MacDonnell, before turning sharply northward to Mount Gambier via Mount Shank. The final leg winds through the Coonawarra wine region, before arriving at Penola.

Once in Penola, pilgrims can visit the Mary MacKillop Penola Centre, with its interpretive exhibitions covering the lives of both St Mary of the Cross MacKillop and Fr Julian. From there they can access The Schoolhouse with its focus on 19^th century Josephite education and the curriculum used by Mary to teach her students.

Of course, Pilgrims also pay a visit to St Joseph’s Church to pray at the shrine to Mary MacKillop. This is a meditative space at the rear of the church, featuring a colourful stained-glass image of our saint.